The first plate to arrive at the MLive table was Isalita's take on the classic al pastor. In Brendan McCall's reimagining of the dish, it's a grilled slice of thinly-sliced pork belly with a some pickled pineapple.

Tinga was on the menu for our third taco selection: tender chicken marinated in a chipotle marinade, topped with shredded radish. Baru said this dish best represents his kitchen staff's knife skills.

We thought we were done, but the tacos kept coming. Next up was carnitas: braised pork that's been marinated in milk, beer and Coca Cola. The carnitas tacos were topped with pickled onions, salsa verde and cilantro.

Another signature dish at Isalita is the hanger steak taco, served as a "build your own" taco along with pickled onions, crispy fried chile slices and salsa verde, served with warm flour tortillas.

Baru and McCall delivered a couple of other street food specialties, including duck flautas and a take on a mushroom quesadilla stuffed with cheese, forest mushrooms and huitlacoche, and topped with a huitlacoche, tomatillo and cilantro sauce.

It was an auspicious start of an evening of taco tasting; a look at the art of street food that's been elevated to the dining room. Baru and McCall have proven that they have a knack for taking comfort food and giving it a fresh spin.